30 Days of Composition: 1-15

Day 1: Viewpoint

Sometimes a different point of view allows us to notice details
 that take on another dimension or importance. 
This is the back view of the biggest steam boat on Lake Léman in Ouchy.
I love how huge the Swiss flag looks and how the water is starting to churn up
 and the steam rises as the boat leaves the port.

Day 2: Framing

I had to find a way of interpreting this inside as the weather was windy and rainy.
Luckily, I had a little box with a shiny base which allowed my Dahlia bloom
to be framed three times.

Day 3: Negative Space

I love using this kind of composition which allows us to really notice the subject
without any distracting clutter.
This is a young lavender stalk from one of my lavender plants
 which is blooming for a second time this summer.

Day 4: Diagonals

They bring a really dynamic element into the frame and seem to shout:
"Look at me!"
I love diagonals in architecture.

Day 5: Rule of thirds

It's about keeping our main subjects in the upper or lower right
or upper or lower left of our frame.
This creates visual harmony.

Day 6: Leading lines

These really pull us forward into the image to notice the elements where the lines
converge. In this case it's the Lausanne Cathedral on the other side of the bridge.

More Leading Lines.

I wanted to add this sideways capture of an escalator just because I like the abstract
dimension and the way our eyes are also pulled into the lines in a rather fascinating way!

Day 7: Symmetry

This one rather speaks for itself.
 I like the early morning lighting which created the soft blue colour.

Day 8: Filling the frame

This is a beautiful way of coming in really close to our subject so that we can appreciate 
each small detail, like the curly petals and stamens of this yellow Dahlia.

Filling the frame with a beautiful Gaillardia bloom

Day 9: Odd numbers

This is a house in my neighbourhood covered in Virginia Creeper.
We can just see the three windows on the top floor.

Day 10: Balance

I enjoyed creating a still life image of cherry tomatoes and using the rule of thirds.
The main subject is the two tomatoes in the foreground, balanced by the glass dish
of tomatoes,
 purposely out of focus so it doesn't enter into competition with the main subject
in the foreground.

Day 11: Abstract patterns

I enjoy noticing abstracts and patterns in the world around me.
I went downtown to capture the glass walls of a modern building
and took the photo on the diagonal because it seemed more interesting that way.

Day 12: No foreground

This prompt felt a little awkward to me because I do love foregrounds
with soft backgrounds.
I photographed an angel decoration with a crystal butterfly.
I thought that it would be rather flat and boring on its own, so I added a corner of
my decorative mirror.
It's true that three things within this frame makes it more interesting.

Day 13: Circular

I had to think about this one - and imagined that taking one of my camera lenses
and holding it in front of the Begonias on my balcony
would make a fun and interesting shot!

Day 14: Form or Shape

I love the harmonious rounded shape of the weather vane down by the lake.
This shape is echoed in the granite rock on the left.
We can also see the soft shapes of the mountains in the background
and the shapes of the rocks which are part of the port.

Day 15: Texture

This is the trunk of a Plane Tree and I do enjoy how the bark of these trees peels off showing
different textures and colours.
This looks like a bark butterfly.

Texture: a larger part of the Plane Tree trunk.


I have really been inspired to create images which express the daily prompts in the best way possible.
Next time, I will post the next fifteen interpretations of the daily prompts.

I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I have enjoyed creating them!



London 2019 - Covent Garden

Something colourful to start with this last blog entry on London this year.
Our hotel is so nicely placed out of the centre, yet so close to get to
our favourite haunts, like Covent Garden.

I like to visit Neale's Yard and especially this lovely place to stock up on some
natural oils and creams.

There are many decorated pubs with fabulous hanging baskets of flowers.

Looking up!

There's always some kind of animation going on in Covent Garden
the fascinated crowds are drawn in to watch.

This is the covered area with small shops and places to eat and drink and free concerts.

Hanging baskets adorn the streets

One building is cleverly decorated in climbing plants

A classical building in a street called
King Street.

One of our favourite stops: Paul's boulangerie and patisserie.
They serve good coffee and different kinds of French bread
and some of the cakes and tarts are very tempting.
Our favourite is apple tart topped with a sprinkling of almond flakes.

We took quite a long walk on foot to visit the Museum of London
and I did enjoy the lovely reflections in the modern buildings on the way.

We passed these two men practicing their climbing skills on a high building.
Rather an unexpected scene to see!

One evening we went to the theatre to see the musical "The Phantom of the Opera"
with wonderful music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

When you visit London, going to the theatre is a must!

I love walking through the small gardens dotted around London
and seeing the colourful seasonal flowers in bloom.

Two girls chatting in the grass behind some flowers which served to protect
their privacy.

The window in my hotel room. I always appreciate being on the garden side of the building
This was taken early morning after the sun started to filter between the leaves
of the trees and the morning breeze blew the sheer curtains back and forth, 
creating a feeling of peace.

This is the end of my time in England this year.

Next time, I'll talk about the month of August in which I participated in
30 Days of Composition.
Such fun to do!


Snippets from London 2019

A stay in London is always very special.
There are favourite haunts to visit and new ones to discover.
We always stay in the Bloomsbury area near Russell Square.
It's quiet and yet not far at all from the centre.

This lovely red door with polished chrome is in the street of  our hotel.

Nearby is the British Museum
full of interesting things to see.

like this marvellous ship which is actually an animated clock
which was put on banquet tables as a decoration.

This is the style of the Bed and Breakfast Hotels in the area.
I've stayed in this one too.
I do love the colourful window boxes of flowers.

Sicilian Avenue is where we often have our main meal of the day
in an Italian restaurant with a good choice of the sort of food we like to eat.

On the other side of Russell Square Park
is the Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel

Very grand inside with lots of marble and beautiful mosaic work in the entrance.

To give you a better idea of the mosaic design.

We had delicious sherries here with my son when he joined us in London
for a couple of days.

Here is an image of Queen Victoria hanging in front of a shop selling collector's coins.
It's just opposite the British Museum.

I couldn't put up an image of Victoria without adding a statue of her husband,
Prince Albert.

A red, sight-seeing double-decker bus.

Another bus and a taxi near the restaurant we go to.
The taxis are no longer only black now.
Many of them are coloured, either plain or with designs and even advertisements.

Since most people use mobile phones these days, 
the well-known red telephone booths are being recycled.
This one offers on the spot smart phone repairs!

There's even an Insect Hotel in the nearby park.
I love that!

I'll stop here for today with some of the photos I took in London, but I shall continue with a few more very soon!